Liam Hemsworth gets diet advice from Thor

Liam Hemsworth owes some credit for his Hunger Games physique to the Norse god Thor -- also known as his brother Chris Hemsworth.

After Liam, 22, had landed the part of District 12 heartthrob Gale Hawthorne, he celebrated with friends over pizza and beer. Word of the night out got back to Chris Hemsworth, who has cut quite the solid figure in Thor and Avengers.

"Chris texted me and said it's called Hunger Games, not Eating Games," Liam tells USA TODAY. "That was his advice to me. I proceeded to eat a lot less for the film."

More than that, Hemsworth started a high-intensity workout routine for the movie, which continued to dominate the box office in its second weekend of release. Hemworth might have bonded with co-star Josh Hutcherson over White Castle burgers, but he came in fighting fit for the movie -- dropping 15 pounds and adding muscle.

Pushing away from the table gave him an idea what his struggling character, living in the post-Dominos world, was feeling.

"I wanted to get a sense of what hunger was like," says Liam. "My character was not eating a lot. I wanted to feel that. And I guess I was eating too much pizza at the time," he adds.

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About Ann Oldenburg

Ann has worn out many stilettos chasing celebs for USA TODAY. She's covered the Oscars, the Emmys, the Golden Globes, and has interviewed stars ranging from Tom Cruise to Rosie O'Donnell. Ann knows entertainment news is best served as a hot dish to friends and she's hoping you'll dig right in. More about Ann